Microsoft 365 Copilot (Included with Our Office 365 Enterprise License)
Overview
Our institution’s Microsoft 365 enterprise licenses include access to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant for productivity and information discovery. This version is available now and provides secure AI chat capabilities within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Copilot Chat allows our community to interact with an AI assistant to help summarize information, brainstorm ideas, draft content, and answer questions using publicly available web information.
This article explains what is included, what is not included, and how it differs from the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on.
What Is Included in Our Current License
All users with a Microsoft 365 account can access Copilot Chat.
Core Capabilities
The included Copilot Chat provides:
• AI-powered chat interface for prompts and questions
• Chat GPT language model to generate responses
• Web-grounded answers using up-to-date Internet information
• File uploads (limited) to analyze or summarize documents
• Copilot Pages for collaborative AI-generated content
• Enterprise identity integration via Microsoft Entra accounts
• Enterprise-grade privacy and security protections
• IT administrative controls for governance and management
These capabilities are automatically available to users with eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Security and Data Protection
Copilot Chat provided through Microsoft 365 includes enterprise safeguards.
Key protections include:
• Enterprise protection for Office 365 data
• Prompts and responses are not used to train public AI models
• Access follows existing Microsoft account permissions
• IT administrators can manage access and controls
💡 Tip: When using Copilot Chat, avoid entering sensitive or confidential (red) data according to institutional data governance policies.
This ensures the AI experience operates within the same security framework as other Microsoft 365 services.
How to Access Copilot Chat
Users can access Copilot Chat by:
- Signing in with their institutional Microsoft account
- Opening the Copilot experience through:
- Microsoft 365 web apps
- Microsoft Edge sidebar
- Copilot web interface
- Copilot option in Teams sidebar
- Supported Microsoft 365 interfaces
Availability may vary depending on application updates and device configuration.
What Is NOT Included in Our Current License
Our current licensing does NOT include the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on (Pro).
The paid Copilot license (typically ~$30 per user/month) unlocks deeper AI integration directly inside Microsoft applications.
Paid Features Not Included
The following features require a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license:
• Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams
• AI generation using organizational documents, email, meetings, and files
• Advanced meeting summarization in Teams
• AI assistance within Office applications (create presentations, analyze spreadsheets, draft emails automatically)
• Integration with internal enterprise content (SharePoint, OneDrive, etc.)
Without the add-on license, Copilot Chat primarily uses web information rather than internal organizational content.
Summary: What Users Can Expect
With the Microsoft 365 enterprise licenses currently deployed, faculty and staff have access to:
Included today
- Secure enterprise AI chat
- Web-based knowledge generation
- File summarization
- Brainstorming and drafting assistance
Not included
- AI embedded in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or Teams
- AI that can automatically analyze internal files and emails
Future Plans
Our technology team continues evaluating enterprise AI tools and licensing options.
Future changes to Copilot capabilities may occur as Microsoft expands features or as institutional decisions are made about enterprise AI platforms.
Updates will be communicated through campus technology announcements.